Perspective

Step away to see the bigger picture

I have ants in my house, the tiniest ants I’ve ever seen. You won’t see them unless you look closely. I have found a way to manage their unwelcomed presence; however, that’s beyond the scope of the blog. They are so ultra-focused on whatever food sources they are preying upon that they have no idea what is really going on around them: me troubleshooting how to snuff them out. Their perspective is limited, and as a result, I am able to abolish many of them.

Similarly, my own perspective is limited. In my house and around my body, for good reason (also beyond the scope here), insects are my enemies. This also limits my perspective, as I get into fight or flight and step into my defending hearth, home and body mode. I can’t think or see properly, until I slightly step back, evaluate more clearly. I can’t strategize in exterminator mode. I can only exterminate. My own son walked in on one of my ant massacre sessions and reminded me of a formula I previously used.

But, what if you can't step away? Access to the bigger picture matters, and Yoga can serve as an instrumental asset, and reset, ever-available so you can access your personal, de-escalation device. How? Mental shifting, gaining the ability to move the actual mind to a unique perspective other than your ordinary one.

One way to do this is through breathing. Your mentor can be more specific, but Krishnamacharya teaching lineage has countless techniques to penetrate the seemingly impenetrable nervous systems brick wall that keeps us in hypervigilant mode, defense mode, go-mode. When we de-mechanicalize breathing, we make way for new approaches.

Another way is through affirmations, either aloud or mentally. We can be completely overcome by situations that feel hopeless, where we feel powerless. Our programming is deep, but that’s exactly where Yoga’s tool of sound steps in to reprogram the narrative that convinces us “this is the only way,” “this is the end.” With mantra, new beginnings are accessible. With faithful and repetitive affirming from the heart, we eventually align with these new perspectives.

My favorite from this week is interacting with those who share different perspectives than my own. For example, I recently dined with family at a familial, favorite Thai Food restaurant. The waiter was scattered as he attended to us. A half hour in, he came to the table to divulge the order he took a half hour after we arrived. An hour in, I was itchy, metaphorically. An hour an a half in, the meals arrived. Mine was beef green curry. I’m vegetarian for 32 years, vegan for 30.

He apologetically brought the check over, confessing it was his first day, both as a waiter and at the restaurant. I fake smiled; however, my son engaged him in a five minute conversation. The empathetic tone and approach and degree of questioning, listening and reassuring he carried into the conversation blew me away. That, right there, was all the perspective shifting I needed to forgive the waiter. Furthermore, any motherly concern I had about my son’s limited social perspective, as I stepped back and listened, converted into faith that both myself, and he, are on the right track.

Last chance to take this fall chanting survey

Incorporate mantra chanting into your Fall self care ritual, no matter what your current level is, so you can elevate your health routine as we spiral into fall and winter